Pelki Morgenthau
“I were made of evil things, too. Hai. I am lucky in that I am not Risen, but my own making were nothing pure. Born of voodoo and twisted science, once possessed by a Nazi. Yer origins don't have to shape who you are, hai? Ye can be whoever you want to be.” Pelki Morgenthau, born Riley Morgan (1987-2008), is an undead human residing in the great Los Angeles region. Pelki is one of the two founding members of Forever, alongside its adoptive sister Grim. It is exceptionally tall, (A few inches shorter than Mac Gaelyth), though skeletal in weight with a thin, wirey layer of muscle. Being genderless, Pelki has a flat, nipple-less chest and a y-incision scar that extends below the navel and seals its groin. Its strange proportions, such as oversized hands and feet, are a side-effect of having been the vessel of Spite for decades. Pelki has a childlike face with pink, ignited eyes and yellowed lips. Its hair is teal, worn half-shaved, and its skin is a 'death-tanned' olive. Its voice is damaged and, as such, it speaks in a monotonous, slurred rasp that leaves both accent and gender anonymous. Pelki frequently soaks itself in vinegar to prevent further decomposition; it has a distinct odour of vinegar that nearly masks its natural smell of death. Personality Pelki is friendly and social, contrasting between a cheerful child and a protective, embittered survivor. At the core, it has lead a fairly tragic 'life' (and will not hesitate to spill cryptic hints of such), though the majority of such a 'core self' is locked away within Pelki, deluded out of surface existence by the mad ghoul itself. Due to the trauma inflicted on Pelki shortly after its death, it currently has no recollection of its real past as Riley Morgan and has instead laced together plots from the outdated media it favours to construct its 'past'. The majority of Pelki's believed history comes from Gen13 as the supposed 'Neverending Morgenthau' and lies reason for its phobia of androids. Pelki aspires to be a 'Superhero', but will tell you itself that it isn't quite there yet, no doubt contributed to by the savage nature of its species and decades spent solitary and selfish. Though it curbs its natural instincts as a cannibal, Pelki's independent approach to befriending others based on personal experience has often landed it loyal to darker characters and influenced by their actions or defenders of their cause. Its open mind and sheer want to befriend others of (nearly) all creeds combined with its sugar-coated existence have often made Pelki easy to like; it is prone to winning over friends whenever it tries hard enough to earn them, often without regard for factional or social boundaries. Ironically, this has lead to a diplomatic nature that, prior to CoLA, it was entirely oblivious to, preferring to take matters on physically. It is outspoken and will not follow orders unless it agrees with them, always acting independently. Pelki strives to 'do what it wants', though mostly kind-hearted and well-meaning in its endeavours, it is not often denied its whims. Contrastingly Pelki is exceptionally possessive, and vengeful when given incentive. Disregarding such diplomacy and willingness to charm, Pelki is a protective, loyal friend and a doting, overprotective lover. Those closest to it are often referred to as 'precious things' while KentaKenta (And Oceanus before him) has been given the title 'Treasure'. It is especially fond of effete boys, (Regardless of their nature and often blinded by their aesthetic appeal.) and anyone who seems genuinely innocent. Pelki hates bullies; its history during the Outcast Era and its time with The Choir drove Pelki wanting to protect and help those who found themselves victim in the city. The Outcast Era additionally set a disproportionate grudge in Pelki against the Archaic Redemption faction. Pelki is physically capable, perhaps of mediocre strength in the City of Lost Angels; undeath has offered deadened nerves, superhuman strength (can throw trucks) and the ability to regenerate via the consumption of humanoid flesh. It provides an excellent 'meatshield' in battle and often throws itself in front of enemies to protect its friends or, indeed, breach peace between two warring parties. One of Pelki's favourite tactics is the 'Snatch and Run', in which it charges into the midst of battle, grabs one (alternatively, one under each arm) ally and flees the scene. This has a surprisingly high success rate. It currently fights with an oversized 'Great Bat' named 'Anna' after its fictional sisters. It has no arcane ability and cannot use guns. Pelki is not emotionally stable and seems to suffer far more from emotional trauma than physical injury. It collects bones, horns and other grisly 'trophies' from enemies and loved ones alike. Amongst its collection is a horn and various bones from Blueray, a horn from Luna, an arm from Oce and the arms of Grim and Ghost, the latter two of which were given to it consensually to feed it when it was critically injured, on separate occasions. This is not the extent of its 'Bone Collection', merely the most important items; it is rarely seen without at least one bone in its possession, though the bones it wears are collected from its pre-dead meals and salvaging exercises. Pelki's hobbies include video games, comic books, manga, anime, salvage, cooking and fashion. It spends at least a few hours per day scavenging and is capable of lower level mechanics restoring disused electronic devices. Pelki is skilled in computer use, (Though of no comparison to The Minus) but it doesn't read books without pictures and overall is of lower than average intelligence. History Pre-CoLA Riley Morgan was the single, tomboy child of a British Family when she was killed while saving a stranger from a seemingly random attack. Unwittingly, Riley had denied an occult gang of Neo Nazis their intended target as the vessel for the powerful necromancer they aimed to revive. The ritual already begun, the cult instead used Riley as the vessel for the ghost Spite, whom they believed would revive the Nazi movement. Spite, however, had little interest in the Nazi movement, having only ever used it as a cover for his sadism and self-advancement. Nor was the practice fully successful; Riley's personality was too strong for Spite to overcome, and as such they shared her undead, superpowered body, turning against the cult. Spite encouraged chaos in Riley, though found her endeavours entertaining; recently revived, she was overpowered by her natural instincts to hunt humans and the emotional instability that came with having become a zombie. Days after her death, Riley returned to her home. Horrified and traumatised, though loving, her parents hoped to keep her a secret; understanding her urges, they locked her in their basement and fed her raw meat in hopes to compensate for humanoid flesh. It did not work for long; weeks after her return home, Riley was overcome with feral instinct and ate her parents, much to the joy of the sadistic spirit haunting her. For years, Riley 'lived' a purely selfish existence; maintaining her personality, she saw undeath as a second chance and, struck as a traumatised, orphaned zombie, she developed something of a Stockholm Syndrome for Spite. Though wanted by the police, Riley evaded capture; the supernatural beings of the world remained hidden, in pockets of the world, and Riley's cannibalism was seen as just that – her supernatural abilities were not counted into the equation. When the supernatural races began to emerge, the cult that had attempted to revive Spite rebuilt itself, armed with scientific advancement and powerful allies that managed to capture Spite and Riley. They sought to end them both, though failed amidst surgical extraction of various organs in hopes to destroy the 'vessel' – the pair escaped, and the lunatic zombie self-modified its body, becoming genderless in physical structure and internal workings. Its mind traumatised beyond repair by the years since its death, Riley abandoned its past and renamed itself Pelki. The beginning of mass civil war drove the seemingly immortal pair underground; neither wanted to die, nor did they fear time – for decades they existed hidden, with journeys topside only made when food was absolutely necessary; it was during that time that Pelki overcame its need for fresh humanoid meat, via nigh-starvation. While Spite amused himself with the growing suffering and insanity of Pelki, Pelki hoped to distract itself from its emotional pain and physical suffering via media; comic books, anime and video games had been hobbies to Riley, and so too did they become hobbies of Pelki. Pelki could not stand to exist with its memories; it reconstructed its past based on a minor storyline in a favoured comic book, relating to the characters and dissociating its own vile deeds with similar atrocities committed in the story by a sibling. Riley Morgan had become Pelki Morgenthau, who no longer had the wits to recognise media as fiction. Spite and Pelki emerged from their underground solitude only when the wars seemed to have lessened. Indoctrination into Los Angeles In the winter of 2050, upon nearing Los Angeles, Spite abandoned Pelki immediately when he sensed more powerful creatures and better targets as 'vessels'; its decades half-starved and inactive had rendered it weak, while the world had advanced at an accelerated rate above them. Pelki was left completely alone and the absence of Spite, its 'battery', weakened it further - degenerative and lost, Pelki sought security and companionship in the first place it believed it would find them - the undead Archaic Redemption faction of Lost Angels. The A.R. Pelki's first attachment in the Archaics was Oceanus, an elf who also hoped to join the Archaic Redemption. He was the first person to truly show Pelki kindness in decades and they entered an open relationship; when Oceanus repeatedly caused trouble for and within the Archaic Redemption, he was outcast from the faction. Though the Archaics did not mistreat Pelki, it felt that Oce cared more for it; its original intention was to gain him access back within the faction, and it continued to attempt to prove itself within their ranks. Pelki was something of a misfit in the Archaics, even when trying to win their respect, having spent years in solitude it was brazen and it did not accept superiors without gaining respect for them on an individual level; simply, Pelki did not understand the factional mindset of the Archaic Redemption. It had genuine respect for Blueray and Stein and grew close to the new prospect Ghost. Ghost and Pelki were also in an open relationship, though Ghost appeared to harbor jealousy towards Oceanus. Pelki left the Archaics when Oce was attacked by a large group headed by Blueray; Ghost followed Pelki, though the trio of ex-prospects and Oceanus' love interest Haamiah were easily wiped out. Outcast Era The Outcasts were a quad made up of Pelki, Ghost, Oce and the angel Haamiah, who was the only member attached to a faction. They were targets of the Archaics and misfits in the city, and the ex-Archaics of them lived along the Saint Monicas District Beach. Through its friendship with Haamiah, Pelki met Pilgrim, a zealot of the Choir at the time. Pilgrim appeared to despise Oceanus for his previous actions against the Choir and innocents, and exhibited a degree of mistrust towards Pelki as an extension. During the short-lived 'Outcast Era', Oceanus' hotheaded nature continuously brought him, and often Ghost or Pelki, trouble. Though Pelki followed Oce blindly, Ghost appeared to grow tired of The Outcasts and returned to Blueray for solace. Blueray rewarded Ghost's return by poisoning him with her blood, which resulted in him falling into a spell of madness. The mind-altered Ghost attempted to attack Haamiah at the Collective's Liquor store and at the Choir's Church, though Pelki and later Pilgrim both defended Haamiah. Pelki was poisoned at the Liquor Store in the process of Ghost's first assault and joined Ghost's attack on Haamiah at the Church, but both Ghost and Pelki were defeated by Pilgrim. Ghost later attempted to approach Haamiah at the Church. Though his reasons for approaching Haamiah on this second occasion are unknown he was promptly attacked and driven away by Pilgrim. The Archaics and Oceanus had a particularly volatile relationship; on one occasion they believed him dead and threw him in the sea. Pelki searched for days upon recognising him missing and eventually found him alive, though after that point he did not return to the city. Pelki continued its relationship with him until he disappeared - he is presumed deceased. Pelki believed Ghost had betrayed The Outcasts and the group disbanded. Pelki sought Pilgrim, who it found in The Clocktower, and fell crying to its knees, begging her to take it as an apprentice so that it could protect those it cared for. Pilgrim saw suffering in Pelki and recognised that it understood that the city's ways were evil. Though the troll distrusted Pelki, she no longer disliked it and encouraged it to join The Choir. The Choir Pelki's time in the Choir was a new start and the first time since its death that it had felt secure and loved, despite being in mourning. Its relationship with Pilgrim grew from businesslike to familial; the pair had positive effects on one another and Pilgrim took it upon herself to head a revenge attack on Blueray, as well as adopting the ghoul as her 'Sister'. Pilgrim swiftly became a 'precious thing' to Pelki, though it gained many firm friends in the angels around them; Haamiah, Gabriella, Ruairi, Aventurina, Nymira, Adius and most of all Pilgrim herself, were amongst those who instilled a sense of moral right in the zombie and it determined to only feed on the already dead or on those it deemed 'villainous'. The Choir was a relatively peaceful era for Pelki and marked the beginning of its want to become a 'superhero', as well as the beginning of Forever itself. During its time in The Choir, Pelki met Kenta, a solitary demon seemingly 'outcast' from The Brood, who feared repercussion for his escape from his previous existence as a slave under one of their members. Kenta disliked Pelki, though the zombie was emotionally broken after the fall of The Outcasts and determined to gain the friendship of the demon who it found attractive, of similar history in the city and reminiscent of the ghost Spite in personality. It offered itself openly as a useful tool to the demon, who suffered amnesia and sought to recall the exact details of his relationship with The Brood. Pelki posed as an enemy of Kenta, successfully investigating his history under the guise of researching his weaknesses. Kenta realised Pelki's usefulness and begrudgingly began a tumultuous romance with it, usually encouraged by alcohol or bodily stimulation. Pelki and Pilgrim took to squatting in an abandoned apartment in Lost Vegas South. It was here, during their first night, that Pelki named the apartment 'We Dwell in Forever', taken from the only book that it has ever read. Paranoid for Kenta's safety, Pelki insisted that he move in with them, though both he and Pilgrim were reluctant. The then-three Dwellers' time in the apartment cemented Pelki's relationships with Grim and Kenta and the trio lived there contentedly until Virgil burned it down in an attack that appeared to be attempted vengeance on Grim. The Choir could not accept the demonic Kenta into their ranks, nor did he agree with their views. Pelki stayed loyal to The Choir until Pilgrim left their ranks, at which point it followed - to this day, it insists it would gladly fight for The Choir and celebrates them as a faction. Relationships Listed Alphabetically. To prevent spam, only the relationships which reoccur often or have significant weight to the storyline are listed here. Other Dwellers *Belh **Belh's innocence has ensured Pelki's affection for her. It refers to her as its ward. *Kenta **Kenta is Pelki's 'Treasure' and openly named as its priority in the city. The lovers are opposites of one another and their relationship is often volatile and the cause of trauma to Pelki's emotional stability. Regardless, the pair are devoted to each other and are widely known as a couple in the city. After Kenta's death, Pelki's soul attached to Kenta's own; its body has adapted to survive on the spirit energy of the now-revived Kenta's detached soul, via a link as opposed to in possession. Through the soul link, Pelki can estimate Kenta's proximity and experiences a mirroring of his pain and pleasure. *Pilgrim **Pilgrim is Pelki's adoptive sister and second only to Kenta as a 'Precious thing'. She provided a mentor to Pelki after The Outcast Era and has lived with it since their time in The Choir. After the Dwellers' move to the Tunnels in the Casino District and the increase of duties laid on Grim, the siblings' time together is scarce, though this has not affected how Pelki feels about the troll. When upset or threatened, Pelki is as prone to running to Grim as she is prone to seeking vengeance in its name. Pelki lovingly refers to Grim as 'Onee-san', even when speaking of business. *Sloe **Sloe is the name given to the soulless body Kenta used to live in. It was revived, though without a successful reunion of body and spirit. Pelki keeps Sloe as a pet. Clan Members *Mac Gaelyth **Mac has been a reliable friend to Pelki even when it was with The Choir. It has called him its 'best friend' and also 'Mac-Nii-san'. Mac is Pelki's officer in the Body branch and its personal respect for the scotsman ensures its loyalty to such commands. Pelki is inspired by Mac's willingness to help the innocent. *Tanith **Tanith is the Prime of The Clan but also a loyal friend to Pelki. She appears genuinely fond of the ghoul and seems to understand its frivolous nature and outspoken demeanour. Others *Alisaundra **Alisaundra revived the body of Sloe and comforted Pelki during one of its more severe breakdowns. Even after joining The Brood, Alisaundra's affection for Pelki appears to have been maintained. *Loki **Loki is the only Archaic Pelki likes, the ghoul insisting that he is held in the faction against his will (A fact that Loki has tried to deny). He has saved Pelki's life before as well as providing a consensual meal. Pelki is attracted to Loki and hypocritical in its affection for him. *Luna (Deceased) **After Luna's attack that left Kenta brain damaged, Pelki began to insist to its Clan friends that 'Luna must die'. When nobody took up the duty, it attempted itself and lost, nearly dying in the process of taking the 'trophies' that were her horn and tail. Soon after, Pelki and Kenta attacked Luna together and succeeded in killing her. *Phedra **Phedra and Pelki have endured a rocky friendship, including Phedra once amputating Pelki's arm and subsequently returning it as a gesture of good will, which was accepted. The pair are similar by nature, although on opposite sides of the city's politics. Pelki feels guilty for helping to kill Luna, but only for Phedra's sake - it recently carved a heart out of Luna's horn and crafted a chain necklace for Phedra as a memento, which was accepted gracefully. *Zakai **Pelki originally thought Zakai an innocent and spent a night securing his safety. Shortly after, it perceived what appeared to be a descent into evil when he committed acts such as attacking Clan members and even wearing an angel's skinned face after defeat. Pelki hates Zakai for his nature, but the matter is driven personal by his relationship with Louis, which Pelki believes hinders its friendship with Loki. =Tropes= *Anti-Hero - Type IV *Appendage Assimilation *Batter Up *Battle Couple *Believing Their Own Lies *Best Served Cold *Biological Mash Up (Spite) *Boisterous Bruiser *Bruiser with a Soft Center *Bully Hunter *Byronic Hero *Crazy Sane *Creepy Souvenir *Crusading Widower *Cute and Psycho *Cute Bruiser *Dark and Troubled Past *Destructive Romance *Determinator *Dumb Muscle *Emotional Bruiser *Fireball Eyeballs *Gollum Made Me Do It (Spite) *Good Thing You Can Heal *Guttural Growler *Hunter Of His Own Kind *Hurting Hero *Lost In Character *Love Makes You Crazy *Love Makes You Evil *Love Martyr *Monster Adventurer *Morality Pet *Mr. Vice Guy (Cannibalistic, Selfish, Shallow, Hypocritical) *My Species Doth Protest Too Much *No Biological Sex *Pay Evil Unto Evil *Psychopathic Manchild - Types A and C *Second Love *Skeletons in the Coat Closet *Sickly Green Glow *Street Smart *Super Toughness *Telephone Polearm *The Nose Knows *The Social Expert *The Wonka *The Woobie *Trauma Induced Amnesia *Vegetarian Vampire (Zombie equivalent) *Yandere - Type 2